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19 November 2006

It is Sunday, 19 November 2006, 9:46 am. USM Health Campus in Kubang Kerian will be holding its Hari Raya Aidilfitri Celebration at 12 noon - 3 pm in Dewan Utama. I am on leave today.

See previous Searches 11 & 22 concerning Jendela issue 3/2004, a bulletin of the USM library.

En. Ramli Abdul Samad telephoned from USM main library on 12 July 2006 (10:58 am) to inform of a famous Malay doctor in Langkawi. He is Dr. Rahmat Haroun. According to En. Ramli Abdul Samad, Dr. Rahmat Haroun operates a private clinic in Langkawi. He told to search for the doctor's details on the Internet as almost everyone in Langkawi knows him.

This search is to update the profile of the Malay writer, En. Ramli Abdul Samad as written in Jendela issue 4/2005.

This is a summary of the Jendela issues so far and takes into consideration the term Agenda Melayu as explained by the UMNO leaders at the recent UMNO General Assembly meeting on 13-17 November 2006 in Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur which was aired on Malaysian TV and which appeared in the news (TV3 and RTM1).

En. Ramli Abdul Samad

• He was born in a village called Kepala Batas in Tumpat, Kelantan in 1951. The village name has ceased to exist
• He grew up in Melaka and received early education in Tranquerah Primary School and Malacca High School
• He received tertiary education at USM
• He obtained his professional library qualification from the Australian National University (ANU) sponsored by the International Development Program (IDP) of Australian Universities and Colleges
• He works as a librarian in one of the USM libraries
• He heads the section Bahagian Perkhidmatan Pembaca dan Pengembangan (BPPP) in Perpustakaan USM
• He is a well-known prolific Malay writer
• He has written more than 600 articles which have been published in various media
• He wrote "Koleksi Dunia Melayu Seperti Yang Dibicarakan di International Colloquium on Libraries and the Construction of Knowledge About Malay World"
  • He explained that the term Dunia Melayu refers to a geographical region encompassing Malaysia, Pattani, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Timur Leste, and the island of New Guinea
  • He mentioned that very little religious manuscripts by the Malays were collected or catalogued.
  • He indicated that the ANU holds the largest Asia and Pacific collection to support its teaching and research on Asian Studies. Among the ANU collection  of Dunia Melayu includes:
    • Siri Sejarah Sastera Melayu or Sulalat'us-Salatin,
    • Penang Gazette and
    • Straits Chronicle 1879-1900.
  • He quoted a paper which mentioned that the National Library of Indonesia contained:
    • local and foreign newspapers from the 17th century,
    • maps from the 12th century, and
    • a collection of manuscripts
  • He highlighted a complex issue governing the meanings of two terms, Kajian Melayu and Kajian Dunia Melayu:
    • Malay Studies = Kajian Melayu
    • Studies of the Malay World = Kajian Dunia Melayu
    • Malay World = Dunia Melayu
    • Kajian Dunia Melayu would take into consideration ethnicity for analytical purposes
    • Kajian Melayu would take into consideration the geographical boundaries and linguistics
• He is a contributor to the astronomy section of a local magazine Dewan Masyarakat
• His articles on astronomy have been commercialised and featured on Malaysian TV (RTM1)
• He is a member of the Association of Academic Staff and Administration, USM
• He is an EXCO member for the Association of Writers, Penang
• His new village is in Lebu, Negeri Sembilan
• His wife is Puan Zarina Mustafa
• He has 2 girls and a boy

Terminologies associated with the Malays and Asia

Kajian Melayu = Malay Studies, takes into consideration the geographical boundaries and linguistics

Kajian Dunia Melayu = Studies of the Malay World, takes into consideration the ethnicity

Dunia Melayu = Malay World

Tenggara Asia = Southeast Asia. The University of California, Riverside (UCR) has opened a collection called Tenggara Asia (Southeast Asia).

The term Agenda Melayu as explained by UMNO leaders referred to the continuous efforts by the Malays to strengthen their economy by playing a more significant role in the Malaysian economic sector (the recent value cited was 18.9%). Modern agricultural practices and use of technology were recommended. The term Agenda Melayu should not be misconstrued as a means to ignore, delineate or stem the Chinese and Indian interests in the Malaysian economy.

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Acknowledgement

JENDELA issue 3/2004: pages 3-5

JENDELA issue 4/2005: page 9

A bulletin of Perpustakaan USM (now re-named Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut on 10 December 2004)

Encik Ramli Abdul Samad

A prolific writer and librarian in USM

Bahagian Perkhidmatan Pembaca dan Pengembangan (BPPP)

Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut

Universiti Sains Malaysia Kampus Sejahtera (main campus)

1800 USM Pulau Pinang

Malaysia

Tel: 604 - 657 - 7888 ext. 3721 (2 May 2005)

Tel: 604 - 653 - 3888 ext. 3705 (15 May 2005)

E-mail: ramli.as@notes.usm.my

Website: www.lib.usm.my/liblist2.htm

Australian National University (ANU)

ANU collection  of Dunia Melayu includes Siri Sejarah Sastera Melayu or Sulalat'us-Salatin, Penang Gazette and Straits Chronicle 1879-1900.

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http://www.medic.usm.my/rnd/telehealth
School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia